Dr. Jen Janousek, PhD, CHES, is the director of the Master of Public Health program and an associate professor in the Health and Human Performance department. Janousek earned her doctorate in public health, specializing in community health education. She is a member of the Public Health Association of Nebraska (PHAN), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE). She is passionate about global health and has led students on health mission trips to Guatemala and Belize.

Dr. Joseph Costa, DHSc, PA-C, is the Chief Physician Assistant for Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation at Columbia University Medical Center. He is the only PA who is formally credentialed as a thoracic donor surgeon in the United States. He is also the only PA in the history of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons to have been given an academic appointment as faculty in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Costa earned his Bachelor’s in Science from Stony Brook University, his Masters in PA Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical School, and his Doctorate of Health Science from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Danielle Blanch Hartigan is currently a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Behavioral Research Program in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute, in Rockville, Maryland. There she researchers the role of patient-provider communication and patient-centered care in cancer prevention and survivorship. Dr. Blanch Hartigan completed her PhD in Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and an MPH in Quantitative Methods from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of psychology and public health.

Dr. Hollie Pavlica currently resides in Durham, North Carolina, the City of Medicine. She has more than 23 years of experience in healthcare and academia and she spent 11 years as an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Pavlica has worked in social work administration and healthcare in Korea, and Germany, as well as the United States. In addition to teaching for Concordia, Dr. Pavlica also edits scientific journal articles and theses/dissertations for the Center of Psychology and Psychosocial Healthcare at Cactus Global Communications. Her interests in public health are health policy and administration, human resources, ethics, global health, and health communications through social marketing. Dr. Pavlica earned a bachelor’s degree in Pscyhology at Midwestern State University, a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington and a doctorate in Public Health at the University at North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Click here to read public health articles written by Dr. Hollie Pavlica

Dr. Kelly Wheeler is an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University, Nebraska, co-leader of the 2013 mission trip in Guatemala, and the leader of the 2014 mission trip for the Master of Public Health program. Dr. Wheeler is a 2007 Doctoral Presidential Fellow who obtained a MPH and Ph.D. in Public Health from Walden University, specializing in community health education and promotion. She also attained a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in communications from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Dr. Wheeler is a certified health education specialist (CHES) with a passion for global health and community-based participatory research. She has worked as a public health practitioner and scholar within both nonprofit and academic sectors for the past 15 years in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala conducting needs assessments and developing community health education interventions to combat health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and infectious diseases caused by poor hygiene and sanitation. Dr. Wheeler’s research interests include craniofacial syndromes, quality of life, women's health, child and adolescent health, chronic and infectious diseases, international health, beliefs, culture and health behaviors, qualitative research, Photovoice, participatory action research (PAR), and community-based participatory research (CBPR).

In her doctoral dissertation titled, “Using photovoice to explore quality of life indicators among adults with crouzon syndrome,” Dr. Wheeler conducted a study that explored the perceived biopsychosocial, environmental, and socioeconomic factors of adults with Crouzon Syndrome (facial differences) using Photovoice, a participatory action research method. This study incorporated participant-selected photos, interviews, and focus groups to describe participant quality of life experiences for future health education program development. Dr. Wheeler currently lectures on these research methods and advocates for their use in creating health education initiatives that empower global communities to identify their own health needs and take action in creating culturally competent, community-based health solutions.

Click here to read public health articles written by Dr. Kelly Wheeler

Dr. Vicki Boye is a full-time professor in Concordia’s Health and Human Performance department. Boye teaches courses in the MPH core curriculum and in the Community Health Education specialization. She has worked with the local school district as well as Four Corners Health Department, covering multiple eastern-Nebraska counties, on several collaborative projects and programs. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia, her M.Ed. from the University of Houston and her Ph.D. in health education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), the American Association for Health Education (AAHE/AAHPERD) and the American School Health Association (ASHA).

Dr. Carol Hoban has worked in the field of Public Health for nearly 13 years at the state level in Georgia and at the federal level for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her varied experience includes working in the areas of vaccine preventable diseases, infectious diseases, electronic surveillance reporting and maternal and child health. She has also taught in the traditional classroom setting for about 10 years at both four- and two-year universities teaching anatomy and physiology, biological principles and environmental science. She holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University, a master’s in Biology from Georgia State University and a doctorate in Biology (with a concentration in Cellular Molecular Biology and Physiology), also from Georgia State.

Dr. Kimberly Brodie is a North Carolina native with more than 15 years of experience in the health and wellness field. She honed her practical and teaching skills in a variety of settings including hospital wellness facilities, universities and public schools. Currently, Dr. Brodie is a self-employed health education and wellness specialist, focusing on a holistic wellness philosophy. Her interests in public health include adolescent pregnancy prevention, health education interventions in faith-based settings and holistic wellness programs in rural populations, which she pursues through partnerships and consulting with nonprofit and faith-based organizations in the Raleigh, NC, area. Dr. Brodie earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education, Exercise and Sport Science and a from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a master’s degree in Health Education from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. in Public Health from Walden University.

Click here to read public health articles written by Dr. Kimberly Brodie

Professor Leanne Pounds spent many years in marketing in the private sector before coming to the field of public health, where she uses marketing principles to influence health behavior at the individual and population level as well as public health policy. Her other interests include crisis and emergency risk communication. In addition to her teaching duties at Concordia, she is an instructor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health and has a small consulting practice. Her work includes projects at the local and state level and involves organizations such as Live Well Omaha Kids and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management and a Master of Science degree from Bellevue University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Rebecca Toland, CHES, has taught Health Science and Public Health for many years in both virtual and face-to-face learning environments. Dr. Toland's areas of expertise are in Public Health, Health Education and Health Promotion. She holds a doctorate in Health Education.

Dr. Madeline Meyer has more than 25 years of experience working as a health care administrator in high-level management positions, including a position as a strategic planning analyst for the largest public hospital system in Minneapolis, Minn. She has taught at the college level throughout her career. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health, specializing in Epidemiology, from Walden University, and her academic focus is on health and public health informatics.

Dr. Shalah Watkins-Bailey has taught a variety of courses in health care management, health education and public health. Her current research interests include health care quality issues, cultural diversity issues in health care health care ethics and evaluation. Her academic background includes a doctoral degree in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University, a master’s degree in Public Health from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Ball State University. During the completion of her master’s degree, Dr. Watkins-Bailey was able to work with a variety of local agencies, including the Indiana Hospital and Health Association on bioterrorism preparedness among all statewide hospitals and the Indiana State Department of Health on a statewide minority AIDS initiative. She has also worked with mental health care facilities in case management and quality care.

Dr. Anne Hunt received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard School of Public Health, where she taught for 12 years before leaving to start a small medical consulting company. Her research has been primarily in public health nutrition and medical genetics. A native New Englander, Dr. Hunt is temporarily living in Utah, where she also serves as the Director of the Office of Methodological Data Science at Utah State University.

Dr. Evelyn P. Davila is an adjunct faculty for the online Master of Public Health program at Concordia. She is also a senior epidemiologist at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California. Prior to these positions, Dr. Davila worked as a senior research associate at the University of California San Diego and an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Davila has extensive experience in cardiovascular and metabolic disease, smoking cessation, obesity prevention, occupational and global health and health disparities research. Much of her career has focused on improving the health of minority and underprivileged communities, and she has conducted research and taught courses in both national and international settings, including Africa and South America. She earned a doctorate degree in Public Health specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and has a master’s degree in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Nutrition.

Dr. Bernadette McCrory is a research scientist in the Movement and Neurosciences Center at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, a research assistant professor in the Mechanical & Materials Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a public health officer in the Nebraska Army National Guard. Dr. McCrory’s doctoral work focused on improving health care quality and safety by assessing and developing intuitive medical equipment, instrumentation and systems. Her current research focuses on conducting biomechanical, physiological and neurocognitive research to enhance the independence and quality of life of persons with and without disabilities. She teaches courses concentrating on health care human factors and ergonomics, biostatistics and military preventive medicine.

Dr. Teresa Dodd-Butera is a registered nurse and board-certified toxicologist with a Ph.D. in Toxicology and International Health. In addition to work experience in public health, poison control centers and intensive care, she has taught at schools of public health and nursing for about 15 years. Her research is in the maternal-fetal environment and she studies transplacental transport of heavy metals (such as lead and cadmium) and other pollutants in obstetric populations. Some of her research was conducted in Tijuana, Mexico, and she hopes to expand her work in global health, toxicology and health promotion.

Dr. Joel Helmer is a full-time professor and chair of the Social Science department at Concordia University, Nebraska. He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Concordia, his master’s degree in geography from the University of Akron and his doctorate in environmental science from Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Brian Albright grew up in Colby, Kan., attended undergraduate school at Emporia State University and got his Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree in Systems Science and Mathematics from Washington University. He has been at Concordia since 2004 and has taught every level of undergraduate mathematics. Albright is the author of the textbooks Mathematical Modeling with Excel and Essentials of Mathematical Statistics.

Dr. ShanteI Anderson resides in the Acadiana area of Louisiana and earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science with the Pre-Law Option and a minor in Sociology at Louisiana State University, where she also earned her Master’s in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Environmental Science. She earned a doctoral degree in Health Education with a focus in Public Health and Management from A.T. Still University School of Health Management. Anderson is an active researcher and writer in the areas of public/environmental health, health education promotion and health policies pertaining to women, children and those who are economically challenged. Her upcoming publications include “Socio-economic Factors of Heart Disease Among Latino Women in an Urban Community,” “Economical Costs of Heart Disease Among Low-Income Populations” and “Correlations of Increase Insurance Costs and Quality Health-Care Among the Poor.” Her upcoming book is Teaching Epidemiology Principles in an Advanced Society.

Dr. Nicole Kolm-Valdivia has worked in several areas of public health, including pediatric injury prevention, adolescent pregnancy prevention, and HIV prevention. She currently coordinates the evaluation of the HIV prevention program at the state health department in Iowa. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as a Master of Public Health degree and Ph.D. (concentration in health education and statistics) from The University of Toledo. Dr. Kolm-Valdivia has been a Certified Health Education Specialist since 2009. Her teaching interests include program evaluation, biostatistics, and health behavior.

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The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent
corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which is one of six regional
institutional accreditors in the United States. The Higher Learning
Commission accredits degree-granting, post-secondary educational
institutions in the North Central region. Concordia University is
accredited by the HLC.

Learn more about how to file a complaint about a distance program or courses